Elevator



Feb. 16, 1943.

A. REDLER ELEVATOR Filed Aug. 2, 1940 mvzmoa Q'PK-JL',

ATTOR EY Patented Feb. 16, 1943 H ELEVATOR Arnold Redler, Stroud, England, assignor to Red ler Conveyor Company, Quincy, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 2, 1940, Serial No. 349,665 In Great Britain August 23, 1939 11 Claims.

This invention relates to an elevator and more particularly to an elevator for withdrawing and discharging material from the hold of a ship or other source of supply.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improved elevator of the character specified in which provision is made for supporting the structure in a manner such as toenable the elevator to automatically lower itself into the material being discharged in accordance with the level of thematerial as the transference pro- In the drawing illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, the flgurerepresents an elevator arranged to withdraw material from the hold of a ship and to discharge the material into a car disposed alongside of the ship.

According to the present invention, an elevator adapted to elevate material from a hold or other source of supply is arranged to be raised and lowered as a unit, the weight of the conveyer being substantially borne by a counterbalance or equivalent device whereby the elevator can be manipulated by manual labor without the necessity of permanently employing a crane or equivalent to keep the elevator in the most advantageous position for feeding. The invention may be applied to conveyers of all kinds including those in which a tubular casing accommodates one or more endless chains fitted with a series of transverse flight members, which latter may be solid plates, semi-solid flights or skeleton frames, and which may be arranged normal to the run of the chain or chains or inclined forwards or rearwards in relation thereto. It is also applicable to other kinds, including those of the suction type, an essential requirement being. a casing or conduit having an opening at or adjacent the bottom, through which the grain or equivalent passes and is thence raised and delivered to an elevated position.

Thus there is provided a discharger for discharging free flowing materials, which is furnished with skeleton and/or semi-solid and/or solid flights inclined or otherwise and provided with open bottom for gravitating itself into the livery through a flexible telescopic or open spout or other suitable delivery and situated any desired distance above the bottom, the invention being characterized in that the discharger is slung from a jib or other suitable means by a chain or other flexible means with a counterbalance weight which may be of approximately the same weight as the discharger, so that the latter can be raised or lowered into a barge without the usual lifting forces being necessary.

If desired the elevator or discharger may be so arranged with its counterbalancing means, that the weight of the upwardly carried material has the effect of maintaining theelevator or discharger in contact with the material in the hold.

or source of supply, or even to penetrate the material of its own accord. This enables the unloading process to take place in a semi-automatic manner, the elevator or discharger following the level of the material as the latter falls. Moreover, if manual manipulation is required, a relatively light force is suflicient to move the elevator or discharger bodily. When the upward flow of the material ceases the effective weight of the device is decreased thus enabling the elevation, an endless chain elevator disposed within a casing of inverted U-s'hape, vwith an opening at the bottom and an outlet at the top, is suspended as a-unit from one extremity of a lever which is pivoted intermediate its ends to a hoist or other supporting device. At its other end, the lever is provided with a counterweight and the whole elevator'is arranged to swing' about the supporting device to permit the mouth of the elevator to..be positioned as desired, the weight of the counterbalance being such that when the elevator isinoperative, the latter is held in suspension or even tends to rise. I 4

A receptacle having a discharge opening is attached to the elevator, and when the installation is working, receives a part of the material so that the weight of the elevator is increased and the latter tends to press downwards into the body of the material. Shortly after the elevating material and also provided with an outlet deprocess ceases, the receptacle becomes empty and the consequent reduction in the weight of the elevator causes the latter to be lifted by the counterweight. In an alternative arrangement, the receptacle is connected operatively with the counterweight by a lever or other mechanism so that the weight of said receptacle and its contents opposes the downward force of the counterweight. The receptacle is fed with material from the discharge aperture of the conveyer so that while the installation is in operation, the downward force of the counterweight is reduced by the weight of the receptacle and its contents. Thus the elevator has more of its weight available to penetrate into the material inthe barge. The principal advantage of the invention is that, in the case of unloading material from a barge, the man aboard the barge can control the discharger without the necessity of employing hoist men ashore, and the work of discharging the material thus becomes almost or entirely automatic.

Referring now tothe drawing, l represents an elevator of the self-loading loop boot type comprising a casing l2 and an endless conveying element l4 arranged to be drawn through the casing to effect the conveyance of the main weight of the elevator causes the latter to be terial therethrough. The casing is provided with an opening l6 in the bottom through which the material enters when the lower portion of the unit is buried in the material and also a discharge outlet l8 disposed any desired distance above the bottom and provided with a flexible delivery chute 20.

The conveying element ll may comprise an endless chain provided with a plurality of spaced transverse flight members 22 of any usual construction such as solid flights or the open type skeleton frame flights. The conveying element is arranged to pass over a drivingsprocket 24 at the upper portion of the conveyer and the sprocket may be driven through connections from an electric motor 26 supported on the elevator and which may be controlled by a push but"- ton switch arranged below in any convenient position. v

As illustratedherein, the elevator I0 is suspended from one end of a lever 28 which may be pivoted intermediate itsends at 36 to a hoist drained. When the elevating operation is completed, the receptacle becomes empty and, as hereinbefore described, the consequent reduction lifted by the counterweight 34. H

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that the inventionmay be embodied in other forms within the scope of th following claims. l

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described, in combination, an elevator comprising a casing having an inlet at its lower end engageable with the material to be discharged and having an outlet adjacent its upper end, and means for suspending the elevator above the material including a counterweight operatively connected to said elevator for counterbalancing the weight thereof, and a receptacle arranged to receive a portion of the material being discharged, the weight of which material will effect a downward movement of said elevator to cause the latter to descend in accordance with the level of the material being discharged.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, an elevator comprising a casing having an inlet at its lower end engageable with the material to be discharged and having an outlet adjacent its upper end, and means for suspending the elevator above the material including a counterweight operatively connected to said elevator for counterbalancing the weight thereof, and a receptacle arranged to receive a portion of the material being discharged, the weight of which material will effect a downward movement of said elevator to cause the latter to descend in accordance with the level of the material being discharged, said receptacle having a relatively small opening at its lower end through which the material may escape to permit the elevator to rise upon the termination of the discharging operation.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, an elevator comprising a casing having an inlet at its lowerend engageable with or other supporting device indicated generally at 32 and, at the other end, the lever is provided with a counterweight 34, the weight of the counterweight being such that when the elevator is inoperative, the latter is held in suspension or even tends to rise. In this manner, the elevator can be raised or lowered into the barge with a minimum of manual efiort.

From the description thus far, it will be observed that in operation, when the elevator is loaded with material, the effect of this extra weight wilibe to cause the elevator to lower itself and to penetrate into the material being withdrawn in accordance with the level thereof as thetransference proceeds, and that when the the material to be discharged and having an outlet adjacent its upper end, an endless conveying element having a plurality of spaced transverse flights traversable through the casing material is depleted, the empty elevator will as herein shown, a receptacle 36 may be attached to the elevator'in a position to receive a portion of the load being discharged in order to further increase the-weight of the elevator during the discharging operation. The receptacle 36 may to effect the conveyance of thematerial therethrough, and means for suspending the elevator above the material including a counterweight operatively connected to said elevator for counsmall opening at its lower end through which the material may escape to permit the elevator to rise upon the termination of the discharging operation.

. 4. In a device of the character described, in combination, an elevator comprising a casing having an inlet at its lower end engageable with have a relatively large inlet 36 disposed adjacent I the discharge outlet 18, The bottom of the receptacle maybe provided with a small openthe material to be discharged and having an outlet adjacent its upper end, means for supporting the elevator above the material including a pivotally mounted lever, means for suspending the elevator at one end of the lever, and acountering 40 through which the material may be slowly 7 weight suspended from the other end, and a receptacle arranged to receive a portion of the material being discharged, the weight of which material will efi'ect a downward movement of said elevator to cause the latter to descend in ac-" cordance with the level of the material being discharged. 7 v

5. In a device of the character described, in combination, an elevator comprising a casing having an inlet at its lower end engageable with the material to be discharged and having an outlet adjacent its upper end, means for supporting the elevator above the material including a pivotally mounted lever, means for suspending the elevator at one end of the lever, and a counterweight suspended from the other end, and a receptacle arranged to receive a portion of he material being discharged, the weight of which material will effect a downward movement. of

said elevator to cause the latter to descend in accordance with the level of the material being discharged, said receptacle having a relatively small opening at its lower end through which the material may escape to permit the elevator to rise upon the. termination of the discharging operation.

6. In a device of the character described, in combination, an elevator comprising a casing having an inlet and an outlet, overhead means including a flexible supporting member for suspending the elevator above the material to be discharged, said suspending means permitting freedom of movement of said elevator laterally, and means for counterbalancing the weight of said elevator and operative to control the movement of the elevator vertically, and a receptacle attached to said casing and arranged to receive a portion of the material being discharged to effect a downward movement of the casing during operation of the' device.

7. In a device of the character described. in combination, an elevator comprising a casing having an inlet at its lower end engageable with the material to be discharged and having an outlet adjacent its upper end, overhead means including a flexible supporting member for portably suspending the elevator above the material to be discharged, said suspending means permitting freedom of movement of said elevator laterally, and means including a counterweight for counterbalancing the weight of said elevator and operative to control the movement of the elevator vertically, and a receptacle attached to said casing and arranged to receive a portion of the material being discharged to efiect a downward movement of the casing during operation of the device.

8. In a device of the character described, in combination, an elevator comprising a casin having an inlet at its lower end engageable with the material to be discharged and having an outlet adjacent its upper end, overhead means including a flexible supporting member for portably suspending the elevator above the material to be discharged, said suspending means permitting freedom of movement of said elevator laterally, and means including a counterweight for counterbalancing the weight of said elevator and operative to control the movement of the elevator vertically, and a receptacle attached to said casing and arranged to receive a portion of the material being discharged, the relation between the weight of said elevator and said counterweight being such as to effect a downwardmovement oi said elevator when said receptacle is supplied with material.

9. In a device of the character described, in combination, an elevator comprising a casing having an inlet at its lower end engageable with the material to be discharged and having an outlet at its upper end, an endless conveying element having a plurality of spaced transverse flights traversable through the casing to effect the conveyance of material therethrough, overhead means for portably suspending the elevator above the material to be discharged, said suspending means permitting freedom of movement of said elevator laterally, and means for counterbalancing the weight of said elevator and operative to control the movement of the elevator vertically, and a receptacle attached to said casing and arranged to receive a portion of the material being discharged, the relation between the weight of said elevator and said counterbalancing means being such as to eifect a downward movement of the elevator into the material when said receptacle is supplied with material, said receptacle having provision for continuously releasing its contents whereby to cause the elevator to rise when the receptacle is empty.

10. In a device of the character described, in

combination, an elevator comprising a casing having an inlet at its lower end engageable with the material to be discharged and having an outlet adjacent its upper end, overhead means including a flexible supporting member for portably suspending the elevator above the material to be discharged, said suspending means permitting freedom of movement of said elevator laterally, and means for controlling the vertical movement of said elevator, said last named means including a pivotally mounted lever attached at its pivotal point to said overhead supporting member, means for suspending the elevator at one end of the lever, and a counterweight carried by the other end of the lever, and a receptacle arranged to receive a portion of the material being discharged, the relation between the weight of said elevator and said counterweight being such as to efl'ect a downward movement of said elevator when said receptacle is supplied with material.

11. In a device of the character described, in combination, an elevator comprising a casing having an inlet at its lower end engageable with the material to be discharged and having an outlet adjacent its upper end, an endless conveying element having a plurality of spaced traitsverse flights traversable through the casing to eflect the conveyance of the material therethrough, overhead means for portably suspending the elevator above the material to be discharged, said suspending means permitting freedom of movement of said elevator laterally, and means for controlling the vertical movement of said elevator, said last named means including a pivotally mounted lever attached at its pivotal point to said overhead supporting member, means for suspending the elevator at one end of the lever, and a counterweight carried by the other end of the lever, and a receptacle arranged to receive a portion of the material being discharged, the relation between the weight of said elevator and said counterweight being such as to efiect a downward movement of said elevator when said receptacle is supplied with material.

ARNOLD REDLER. 

